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The Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and Startup Estonia have been selected to host the Startup Nations Summit in 2017. The event will be co-organized by EIT Digital, the leading European open innovation organisation, along with the European Commission and Dell.

The Startup Nations Summit, organized annually by the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN), will continue to explore rapidly growing European startup hubs. The event in Tallinn will be held right after the Global Entrepreneurship Week and as a strong introduction of European SME Week.

The key aim of the Summit in 2017 is to explore how digital disruption is changing the world. It is both startups as well as policymakers that must take advantage of digital technologies and make a difference. “Estonia is among the most forward-thinking governments in the world and we are happy to share our experiences in digital governance,“ said Ms Liisa Oviir, Minister for Entrepreneurship in Estonia. “We are ready to immerse all policymakers in how digital technologies have made a huge difference for entrepreneurs in Estonia. We call startups to expect more from their governments, so they can start and scale faster,“ Oviir added.

“EIT Digital is thrilled to be co-organising this event,” says Fabio Pianesi, Director of Research and Head of EIT Digital’s ARISE Europe outreach programme. “Our team of experienced business developers and finance experts operating from 13 cities across Europe as well as from our hub in San Francisco have supported more than 200 startups to access new markets and helped them raise more than €77 million in investment since 2012. The summit is a significant step forward in our partnership with Estonia and an important opportunity to jointly opens doors for startups to European and international venture capital funds and markets. It will help company founders and CEOs get all-important chances to-meet investors and market leaders for fast-growth business opportunities.”

Startup Nations is an initiative run by the Global Entrepreneurship Network and funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. It is focused on exploring different regulatory changes and policy ideas to help accelerate new and young firm formation. The Startup Nations Summit connects policymakers, advisers and startup community leaders to help enable high impact entrepreneurship and stimulate entrepreneurial growth around the world. The 2016 Summit, held in Cork, Ireland, brought together delegates from more than 70 countries.

Previously, the Startup Nations Summit has been held in Toronto (Canada), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Seoul (Korea), Monterrey (Mexico) and Cork (Ireland). The 2017 Startup Nations Summit will be held in Tallinn from November 20-22, 2017.